Most often, traveling to me is a lot like teleporting. While the particles of my being stay in tact,
I get on the plane, fall asleep and miraculously wake at my destination, as the
wheels touch the ground.

Other times, like tonight, I wake for a brisk moment to look
out the window, and just like that, for the next many hours, my mind is
captured into a whirlwind of thoughts, intentions, memories and moments of
silent awe.

Taking in the sight of one of the last sunsets of 2013 and then looking to a
single star in the night sky, the inevitable end of year reflection
begins.

I find myself mentally flipping through the past months, not
just relishing in the joyous experiences and wonderful memories created, but
also finding appreciation for the subtle moments in between.

The moments, that if presented within a highlight reel, may
appear banal, but in actuality, were quite defining and pure.

When I think of 2013, some of what I remember most, are the
conversations I’ve been able to have with people. Stories of survival, happiness, inspiration,
life, youth and age.

So in these last moments of 2013, rather than rebelling and
making intentions of setting no intentions, what I hope for most in 2014 is
just to appreciate and remember “La Joie De Vivre… the Joy of Living.”